Organizers happy with results at Rhode Island show

The Rhode Island Boat Show, held May 4-5 in five venues throughout the state, drew 52 exhibitors and hundreds of boating enthusiasts to the waterfront. The show, which started as a homegrown industry effort, is maturing into an effective way to reach customers, organizers say.

Organizers focused on a set of simple goals when staging this year's event: making it low-cost and easy for exhibitors to access; making it free to attendees; including on-the-water opportunities for those who wanted them; using low-cost communication; and drawing people to waterfront venues to showcase the boating lifestyle.

"This show is unique," show co-founder Ryan Miller of Latitude Yacht Brokerage said in a statement. "It's not inside a convention hall in the middle of winter. Your boats are not penned in to a dock space the way they are at big shows, so you can do things you can't do at traditional shows. You can take your customer out for a test sail, let him turn on the engine and go for a demo ride, let their kids hang out on the docks or spend some one-on-one time."